#urban-transport

#urban-transport

Half a million visitors pound its pavement every day - but it has seen better times. It has poor air quality and a high number of collisions. Buses and taxis run right through the middle of the shopping area. Research indicates it performs worse, in terms of customer spending, than other areas nearby. Businesses there and the mayor of London think the solution is pedestrianisation - and a recent consultation suggested nearly two-thirds of respondents supported the idea.

In the 1970s and 80s, when it was possible to envisage curbing car use in favour of integrated public transport in Britain's towns and cities, my father, Rob Lane, who has died aged 84, was a leading exponent of prioritising public services and pedestrian safety over the car. As a lecturer in transportation studies at the Polytechnic of Central London in the 1960s he wrote

The City of London council announced that black cabs will be permitted to drive through Bank junction again as part of an 18-month trial, citing the need for increased access for those unable to use public transport.

Battery-powered trams have no overhead wires, allowing for a smoother integration into urban landscapes and making them a crucial advancement for modern public transport.

The Waymo was then unable to complete a multi-point turn due to the proximity of the drive thru lane and multiple other cars in the tight space.